Orcs
Orcs were the footsoldiers of the Dark Lord Sauron, forming his main host in his bid to conquer Middle-earth and dominate the Free Peoples. History First Age In the First Age, the Dark Lord Morgoth began waging war upon the Free Peoples and surrounded himself with many corrupted Men and fell creatures such as Orcs, Werewolves, Vampires, Balrogs and Dragons. Following his defeat, the Host of Valinor vanquished most of his forces, with the survivors fleeing into the darkest places of Middle-earth to avoid capture. Second Age In the Second Age, Sauron declared himself as Dark Lord and used his powers to summon the remaining followers of Morgoth under the banner of the Red Eye within the borders of Mordor. Orcs were the most numerous (and weakest) of his servants, forming his main host and under his lordship they became a great threat to Middle-earth. In Mordor, he bred even more Orcs, and they multiplied under his watchful eye, as twisted formes of Elves and Men or creatures bred in vats. These Orcs remained ever loyal to him and were so dependent on him that after each of his defeat the fled due to his will not driving them to battle. In the War of the Last Alliance, Sauron the Enemy strove to conquer all of Middle-earth but was beaten and his army was disbanded. Third Age In the early Third Age, Orcs from the Misty Mountains led by chiefs from Mordor attacked and slew Prince Isildur to avenge the apparent "defeat" of Sauron. However, for a time they were weak, for their numbers were depleted and their master's will not aiding them. But as the Dark Lord began to re-emerge, the Orcs also built their forces and led by powerful chieftains aligned with the Enemy, they started troubling the Dwarves. This led to the conquest of Mount Gundabad, with the fortress within becoming a capital in the Misty Mountains. It was Azog that led legions of Gundabad Orcs in taking Moria and slaying King Thrór, which resulted in the War of Dwarves and Orcs, which ended with the Battle of Azanulbizar, in which the giant chieftain was defeated and rumored to have "died of his wounds" long ago. With the sudden appearance of the "Necromancer", Moria Orcs began to settle in Dol Guldur, plaguing Greenwood together with the Giant Spiders. Beorn later told Gandalf the Grey that these vile creatures paid homage to the mysterious presence and were in league with it. Fearing an alliance between the Necromancer and Smaug, the wizard urged the Dwarves to reclaim Erebor, in order to slay the Dragon. This resulted in the company of Thorin Oakenshield leaving for the Quest of the Lonely Mountain and guided by Gandalf they faced many perils, Orcs being on several occasions among them: a band of Hunter Orcs riding Gundabad Wargs chased them until they fled through a hidden passage to Rivendell, the Mountain Goblins of Goblin-Town captured them and attempted to kill them, the Dwarves and the hobbit Bilbo Baggins being saved only by the daring intervention of Gandalf, the same pack of Warg-riders led by Azog (revealed to be alive) pursued them to a pine forest and later to Carrock and Mirkwood, and an attack by the Gundabad Orcs led by Bolg son of Azog. Gandalf was captured following a visit to investigate Dol Guldur and force the Necromancer's hand, learning that the sorcerer was as he had came to suspect none other than Sauron. The Dark Lord had Azog lead an army of Orcs, Goblins, Trolls, Ogres and Wargs in an attempt to conquer Erebor. Guldur Orcs formed the main host, aided by "War Beasts" such as Guldur War Trolls, Guldur Olog-hai, Attack Cave Trolls and Guldur Wargs, but were vanquished in the Battle of the Five Armies by the united forces of Mirkwood Elves, Lake-town Men and Ironhills Dwarves, despite the attempt of Bolg in leading an army from Gundabad against them. Sauron was forced by Galadriel and the rest of the White Council to return to Mordor, where he began to prepare for war, reclaiming the Black Land and breeding Orcs anew. Through the use of a Palantir, the Dark Lord was able to ensnare Saruman the White into his service. The wizard gathered some of the Orcs of the Misty Mountains under the banner of the White Hand in great secret started searching in the Anduin for the One Ring and cross-breeding Orcs with Men, creating Goblin-men, which he and Sauron used alongside Bree-men ruffians as agents and spies in Eriador. Following Gandalf the Grey's imprisonment in the Tower of Orthanc, Saruman's Orcs began work in Isengard: cutting down trees at the Lumberjack Camp, throwing the lumber in the watercaves bellow, where they were using these logs to fuel the furnaces, build wooden structures such as towers, bridges, dams, wheels and mills, while also forging weapons, armor and helms, breeding Uruk-hai and arming them. Saruman also compelled the Dunlendings to his side, earning Sauron further followers to do his bidding. Thus, these wild-men banded with Orcs of Isengard and burned the villages of Rohan, killing for sport and pillaging for valuable loot. A company of Uruk-hai Scouts led by Uglúk were aided by Orcs under captain Grishnakh sent from Mordor to ensure that the agents of Saruman returned to Isengard with the hobbits carrying the Ring. The Orcs were all slain at the eaves of Fangorn Forest at night by Rohirrim Riders commanded by the exiled Prince Éomer. In a bid to destroy Rohan, Saruman amassed an army of 10.000 Uruk-hai and sent them march to Helm's Deep, where King Théoden had gathered his people. The Battle of Helm's Deep ended with the defeat of the forces of Darkness, while the vengeful Ents led an attack upon Isengard which was now guarded only by the Snaga Orc labourers and a few archers. The ringed stronghold was flooded and the foul crafts brought down, forcing Saruman to remain in Orthanc until his demise, a prisoner in his own tower. Angered by the fall of one of his valuable servants, Sauron had the Witch-King of Angmar summon Orcs, Trolls and wicked Men to launch an assault upon Minas Tirith and thus bring down the kingdom of Gondor. The army of Morgul Orcs, Morgul Attack Trolls, Mountain Attack Trolls, Haradrim, Easterlings, Corsairs of Umbar, Mumakil and Great Beasts was disbanded following the death of the Witch-King himself. The Dark Lord gathered all of his forces and unleashed them upon Aragorn's Men of the West during the Battle at the Black Gate, during which the Ring was cast into the fires of Mount Doom, causing the destruction of the Tower of Barad-dûr and the fall of Sauron. The Orcs at the gate perished when the ground crumbled beneath them. Origin As Saruman told Lurtz, the first Orcs were corrupted Elves who were captured by the agents of the Dark Powers (Morgoth and Sauron), tortured and mutilated. However, while the Orcs of Morgoth were all twisted forms probably of Elves and Men, Sauron had his Orcs bred in vats to amass armies in great numbers. It is also believed that they could also be created in the manner of the Children of Iluvatar. Goblin-men and Uruk-hai were advanced breeds of Orcs who had somehow been fused with Men, creating agents and soldiers for the armies of Isengard and Mordor. Category:Mordor Army Category:Servants of Sauron Category:Saruman's Servants Category:Villains Category:Creatures Category:Orcs Category:Servants of the Witch-King